The Pacers, the same Pacers who have lost the last two playoff games to the Pistons by roughly 1,300 points -- give or take a thousand -- will win Game 6 Thursday night at Conseco Fieldhouse.
As for Game 7, hey, they're on their own. There's only so much a dumpy little sports columnist can do in a short space of time.
Yes, I know Tuesday night was bad. I know Game 5 here at the Palace of Auburn Hills was as much fun as a case of the shingles. I know the statistics, which show that 84 percent of teams that win Game 5 of a 2-2 series win that series.
I know that it's humbling, if not downright humiliating, when Darko Milicic is called upon to finish off the proceedings for the Pistons and ultimately outscores Jamaal Tinsley, three points to two.
I saw it, you saw it and, sadly, many Hoosier youngsters saw the carnage, which might leave them psychologically scarred for years.
"The last 31 minutes were dismal," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said after the Pacers' 86-67 loss to the Detroit Pistons. "No getting around it. As (former coach) Bill Fitch used to say, 'When you stink, you stink.' And we stunk."
The Pistons had more runs than a reckless traveler in Mexico.
The Pistons had more second chances than Darryl Strawberry.
Please, remember to tip your waiters and waitresses.
Lest anybody suggest I'm letting the Pacers off the hook for failing to show up for the final 21/2 quarters, let me summarize:
Tinsley, who can make you crazier than a spouse, stunk. Reggie Miller, who might have taken early retirement when we weren't watching, stunk. Jermaine O'Neal and Stephen Jackson weren't quite as noxious, but they didn't give the Pacers a chance to win, either.
Not that it would have made any real difference, not with the Pacers shooting 37 percent and getting outrebounded by 18, but I'm still confused as to why Carlisle stayed so long with Tinsley when it was evident he was intent on padding Ben Wallace's block totals.
If you remember, the Pacers led 31-27 with 7:05 left in the second quarter, and were in the penalty.
Shortly thereafter, Tinsley replaced Anthony Johnson.
Shortly thereafter, the game was over (although many of us stuck around for the chance to watch Milicic actually play).
I'm not crazy enough to drop it all on Tinsley -- maybe 62.5 percent of it -- but there's got to be a point, sooner rather than later, when Carlisle acknowledges he's had enough of his wackiness.
(Listen, if I'm going to guarantee Game 6, the least Carlisle can do is put his impetuous point guard on a short leash.)
How bad did it get? In the second half, the Pacers were hit with a technical foul for using too many timeouts. It was one of the few places where they blew out the Pistons on the score sheet.
An extra timeout: Why would Carlisle make the misery last any longer than necessary?
"We're not going to run and hide from the truth," Carlisle said. ". . . We got outfought and outplayed. And outcoached. You know, we're all in this together."
It wasn't very encouraging to hear so many of the Pacers players concede there was a marked lack of effort in Game 5. One thing it's fair to expect at any point in the playoffs: maximum effort. Stephen Jackson said it. Miller said it. My guess is, if we asked John Edwards, he would have said it, too.
When Jermaine O'Neal was asked if it would be hard for the Pacers to come back from this mauling, he said, "It better not be hard at all. . . . It's a test of our will. If we don't have enough will to come out and win a game on our home court, then we have to start playing for next season."
Which brings me back to The Guarantee.
The Pacers' will.
No, you haven't seen a lot of will -- or baskets or rebounds -- the past two games. But one thing about this team: It can take a punch.
If I've learned anything about these Pacers by now, it's that they don't roll over and quit. They are too stubborn and prideful to let it end without making the Pistons sweat out a Game 7, and they are too committed to Uncle Reggie to let his career end at home.
A guarantee?
I'm putting the Troy, Mich., Marriott on the credit card now.
Guarantee that, Rasheed.
As for Game 7, hey, they're on their own. There's only so much a dumpy little sports columnist can do in a short space of time.
Yes, I know Tuesday night was bad. I know Game 5 here at the Palace of Auburn Hills was as much fun as a case of the shingles. I know the statistics, which show that 84 percent of teams that win Game 5 of a 2-2 series win that series.
I know that it's humbling, if not downright humiliating, when Darko Milicic is called upon to finish off the proceedings for the Pistons and ultimately outscores Jamaal Tinsley, three points to two.
I saw it, you saw it and, sadly, many Hoosier youngsters saw the carnage, which might leave them psychologically scarred for years.
"The last 31 minutes were dismal," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said after the Pacers' 86-67 loss to the Detroit Pistons. "No getting around it. As (former coach) Bill Fitch used to say, 'When you stink, you stink.' And we stunk."
The Pistons had more runs than a reckless traveler in Mexico.
The Pistons had more second chances than Darryl Strawberry.
Please, remember to tip your waiters and waitresses.
Lest anybody suggest I'm letting the Pacers off the hook for failing to show up for the final 21/2 quarters, let me summarize:
Tinsley, who can make you crazier than a spouse, stunk. Reggie Miller, who might have taken early retirement when we weren't watching, stunk. Jermaine O'Neal and Stephen Jackson weren't quite as noxious, but they didn't give the Pacers a chance to win, either.
Not that it would have made any real difference, not with the Pacers shooting 37 percent and getting outrebounded by 18, but I'm still confused as to why Carlisle stayed so long with Tinsley when it was evident he was intent on padding Ben Wallace's block totals.
If you remember, the Pacers led 31-27 with 7:05 left in the second quarter, and were in the penalty.
Shortly thereafter, Tinsley replaced Anthony Johnson.
Shortly thereafter, the game was over (although many of us stuck around for the chance to watch Milicic actually play).
I'm not crazy enough to drop it all on Tinsley -- maybe 62.5 percent of it -- but there's got to be a point, sooner rather than later, when Carlisle acknowledges he's had enough of his wackiness.
(Listen, if I'm going to guarantee Game 6, the least Carlisle can do is put his impetuous point guard on a short leash.)
How bad did it get? In the second half, the Pacers were hit with a technical foul for using too many timeouts. It was one of the few places where they blew out the Pistons on the score sheet.
An extra timeout: Why would Carlisle make the misery last any longer than necessary?
"We're not going to run and hide from the truth," Carlisle said. ". . . We got outfought and outplayed. And outcoached. You know, we're all in this together."
It wasn't very encouraging to hear so many of the Pacers players concede there was a marked lack of effort in Game 5. One thing it's fair to expect at any point in the playoffs: maximum effort. Stephen Jackson said it. Miller said it. My guess is, if we asked John Edwards, he would have said it, too.
When Jermaine O'Neal was asked if it would be hard for the Pacers to come back from this mauling, he said, "It better not be hard at all. . . . It's a test of our will. If we don't have enough will to come out and win a game on our home court, then we have to start playing for next season."
Which brings me back to The Guarantee.
The Pacers' will.
No, you haven't seen a lot of will -- or baskets or rebounds -- the past two games. But one thing about this team: It can take a punch.
If I've learned anything about these Pacers by now, it's that they don't roll over and quit. They are too stubborn and prideful to let it end without making the Pistons sweat out a Game 7, and they are too committed to Uncle Reggie to let his career end at home.
A guarantee?
I'm putting the Troy, Mich., Marriott on the credit card now.
Guarantee that, Rasheed.
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